Conductor trace array having interleaved passive conductors

Abstract

A trace conductor array includes an electrically insulative support substrate and a plurality of electrical signal trace conductors formed along substantially parallel paths in a single layer on the substrate. The electrical signal trace conductors each have a plurality of spaced apart trace conductor segments. Passive electrical trace conductors are formed on the substrate in spaces between the spaced apart adjacent trace conductor segments, and are spaced apart and electrically isolated therefrom. The passive trace conductors generally follow a geometry of the spaced apart segments and thereby repel magnetic flux lines at higher frequencies and result in decoupling of the high frequency current-carrying conductor trace segments. A preferred application is for interconnecting a head and a preamplifier/drive circuit within a hard disk drive.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An integrated load beam assembly for supporting a read/write head/slider assembly adjacent to a rotating data storage medium of a hard disk drive and for electrically interconnecting the head to read/write circuitry of the drive, the load beam assembly comprising: a flexure including: a generally planar conductive member extending in the proximity of the read/write head/slider assembly;   a first electrical insulation layer disposed on the conductive member;   a plurality of electrical traces disposed on the first electrical insulation layer and connected to read and write elements of the head/slider assembly, the flexure being secured to a load beam, and     a trace conductor array interconnecting connection pads of the electrical traces and the read/write circuitry and comprising: an electrically insulative support substrate;   a plurality of electrical signal trace conductors formed along substantially parallel paths in a single layer on the electrically insulative support substrate,   the electrical signal trace conductors each having a plurality of spaced apart trace conductor segments, and   passive electrical trace conductors formed on the substrate in spaces between adjacent ones of the spaced apart trace conductor segments, and spaced apart therefrom, and generally following a geometry of the spaced apart trace conductor segments.     
     
     
       2. The integrated load beam assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the electrically insulative support substrate comprises a thin flexible polyimide film. 
     
     
       3. The integrated load beam assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the plurality of electrical signal trace conductors comprises four electrical signal trace conductors formed in the single layer and following generally parallel paths, two of the conductors for electrically connecting a read element of the head to a preamplifier circuit, and two of the conductors for connecting a write element of the head to a write driver circuit, within the read/write circuitry.